Opinion: Labor in Qld more about winning than governing

There is one reason the ALP has been in power for all but five years out of the last 35 and it revolves not around their ability to govern, but their ability to win, writes Graham Young.

Premier Steven Miles at the Labor campaign launch. Picture: Adam Head

There is one reason the ALP has been in power for all but five years out of the last 35 – cunning.

Unlike the LNP they not only have a plan to govern, but they have a plan to be re-elected.

That plan involves buttressing their strengths, fortifying their weaknesses, as well as laying booby traps in the field of contest.

It is prosecuted by exploiting real weaknesses in their opposition, and when they can’t find them, substituting a straw man they can bash.

We’ve seen three of these strategies already this election campaign, and it’s not even half time. There’s hospital privatisation, abortion, and coal royalties.

Labor’s problem is they’ve been in for three terms and they run an administration that is seen as shambolic.

Hospitals don’t work, crime is out of control, projects aren’t delivered on time or on budget, first home buyers are locked out of the market, and the government has had to shout consumers half a year’s worth of electricity bills (and now school lunches).

Former premier Wayne Goss was caught out in an early ‘mediscare’ campaign, in 1995 claiming his political rivals would privatise hospitals.

To perform creditably this election, they need to distract electors and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s small target has given them little real to work with, so on to the strawmen.

First there was the hospital privatisation scare. This is like an old prize fighter’s left hook – always on display.

First time I saw one of these was in 1995 when Wayne Goss alleged the Coalition was going to privatise the hospital system.

It ended-up blowing up on Labor when Liberal Leader Joan Sheldon caught them out with their own privatisation plan in a cabinet submission. The Courier-Mail headline described Labor as “grubby”.

Privatisation has run every election since, despite the fact Labor has raised more money in Queensland by privatisation than the LNP.

Then there were coal royalties. Despite a clear promise from David Crisafulli that he would not be changing the new royalty regime, Labor advertising says he will. I’d say this advertising is dishonest, presumably J. King who authorises it would claim she is clairvoyant!

Labor’s been setting this one up for a while, even enacting the “keep it in the bank” “wedgeislation” which mandates that any decrease in coal royalties has to be via legislation rather than regulation.

The government has tied more promises of electoral goodies to the coal royalties than there are royalties to go around.

Just about any spending promise is “funded by coal”. If Crisafulli can be portrayed as even half wavering, then the kiddies’ Christmas presents are at risk.

Now we have abortion.

David Crisafulli on the campaign trail in Nambour. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Abortion has been freely available in Queensland for decades. In 2001 there were approximately 15,000, while in 2019, admittedly the Covid year, there were 9496. In 2021 Yvette D’Ath revealed the bill had not affected the rate of abortion.

Abortion rights are supported by around 75 per cent of Queenslanders. It would be suicidal for a government of any party to take those rights away, so it’s at first glance not credible a Crisafulli government would.

But then Labor points out that Crisafulli actually voted against the Palaszczuk government’s Termination of Pregnancy Bill. And he did, but we do not know why because he did not speak in the debate.

What we do know is that many of his colleagues moved amendments to the bill, particularly on the issue of abortion up to birth, all of which the government rejected. Perhaps he shared those reservations.

Why was there no attempt to make the bill more broadly acceptable?

Perhaps we are seeing the reason now. It’s a good wedge between conservatives and moderates in the LNP, and turning the election into a faux referendum on abortion is a better chance for Labor than running on either their record or their promises.

The fact that Crisafulli has promised he won’t change the abortion legislation is no more relevant to them than that he won’t privatise the hospitals or give the coal companies back their royalties.

It’s not about governing, it’s about winning.

Graham Young is Executive Director of The Australian Institute for Progress

Originally published as Opinion: Labor in Qld more about winning than governing